Oddities
by Ultimate Bohab
Summary: 60 years before the fall of Sparx, there were still adventures to be had by the fairies of Alfea. This particular adventure concerns not the exemplary specimens of fairykind, but the misfits, the outcasts, the oddities. (Semi-prequel to End of the Beginning)


Dark clouds gathered over the skies of Magix. Lightning danced among them, accentuated by violent claps of thunder. Rain poured down in torrents, turning the normally busy streets into vacant canals. It was clear to all who saw it that this was not a normal storm, as it was drenched in the stench of a black and foul magic. Headmistress Gwendolyn sighed heavily as she closed the curtains to her office, silently cursing the day she had agreed to run the Alfea school for fairies. These were bleak times for those who were allied with the side of light, and with every day they grew even bleaker.

The cause of her current misery was the same as the storm; a dark wizard named Gologoth, who had taken up residence in the Blackmud Swamp. His tainted spells had wreaked havoc across the magical dimension, from Eraklyon to Linphea, before he was finally driven all the way to Magix. Now the Council expected the local justice enforcers to do something about him, namely Gwendolyn. They even had the nerve to suggest that capturing him would be a good assignment for her senior students.

"Those bastards, throwing that blasted sorcerer into my backyard and then claiming he was never their problem," the headmistress grumbled out loud, pouring herself a glass of brandy. "And they want my students to deal with him? He's wanted on twelve systems for Dragon's sake. As if that means anything to the imbeciles around here, pretending that the problem doesn't exist like that'll make it go away or something..."

With a snort of derision that caused her wavy golden hair to bounce, she poured another shot of liquor and recalled the meeting that had taken place the day before. The headmasters of the three schools had been called to the city hall by the mayor and his advisors to discuss the situation given to them by the Council.

_"The wizard has not yet done anything catastrophic to the realm of Magix, his only acts of mischief being his tampering of the weather and the occasional loosing of slime creatures into the forest, neither of which have caused any real damage. I say we let him stay holed up in the swamp until the Council finally decides to do their job and take care of him." the headmistress of Cloud Tower had remarked, a witch by the name of Echidna who, like Gwendolyn, was unusually young for her position, and had uniquely jagged blue locks._

_"Preposterous. Only a witch would allow such evil to live in our very own swamps and do nothing about it!" was the surly old Red Fountain headmaster's response. Halberg's gray hairs did little to tame his warrior image, and when he spoke, he shouted._

_"I take blatant offense to that comment, just because we witches like a bit of mayhem does not mean we automatically side with the forces of darkness!"_

_"Of course not, you only side with yourselves!"_

_"Are you accusing me of secretly plotting to take over the magical dimension? Because if you are that is absolutely ridiculous!"_

_"I wasn't accusing you of anything like that, but I wouldn't put it past ya!"_

Gwendolyn had been puzzled by that sudden change of topic, and upon reflection found it highly suspicious, but Echidna's bizarre tendencies and poor coverups of her intentions didn't matter at the moment. The rest of the meeting was foggy in her mind anyways, she had nodded off during the mayor's yawn-inducing motivational speech about how the people of Magix must not be frightened by any sort of action.

"Just remembering that old windbag's voice is making me nod off..." the headmistress mumbled, looking longingly at the door to her sleeping chambers. At this point, any sort of dream would be a welcome relief from the constant headache that was her job. Giving in to her weariness, Gwendolyn put the bottle of brandy back in her desk and staggered off to bed.

* * *

It was only a week into the school year, and already Marigold Plume was sick of it. First, she had accidentally dropped her schoolbag and spilled its contents across the hall. Then she had somehow locked herself in a bathroom stall for twenty minutes, which led to a highly embarrassing explanation of why she was late to her first class. And to top it all off, her roommate Brenda snored like a dragon, which made the idea of sleep a distant memory.

Things were about to get a lot worse though, because today was the day Marigold had to demonstrate her fairy abilities in front of the entire freshman student body. For most, this was no big deal. Other fairies had powers to be proud of, like the fire magic of Sparx or the water magic of Tides. Marigold was from Linphea, and she had grown up believing she would gain fantastic nature powers, but fate had other ideas in mind.  
Marigold looked nervously at her audience, who all seemed to be staring at the peculiar white stripe in her lavender hair. She didn't want to transform, but the wilting glare of her professor was very compelling.

"Miss Plume, is there some sort of problem? Is your magic perhaps stuck in a bathroom stall?" Professor Leechwood asked mockingly, causing a few of the freshmen to giggle.

"N-no professor, um... here I go, I'm transforming now..." she stammered, closing her eyes and trying not to blush as she activated her fairy form.

With a soft yellow glow two small green wings sprouted from Marigold's back, while her clothes changed into a simple brown leather top and skirt, leaving her slightly pudgy navel exposed. Her shoes grew into knee-high combat boots, and to complete the transformation, a gas mask materialized on her face.

"A very unusual fairy form, Miss Plume. Why on earth would a Linphean fairy need a gas mask?" Leechwood remarked scathingly.

This was it, the moment she had been dreading. Now more than ever Marigold regretted the magical hand she had been dealt. For she had gained one specific ability from nature: the ability to produce the aroma of any sort of flower. And, if that weren't unfortunate enough, the only strong aroma Marigold could currently create was a noxious one.

"Well? I'm waiting for a reason!" the professor demanded, causing the hesitant fairy's face to turn crimson.

"S-sorry sir," Marigold replied, biting her lower lip. "The reason I need a gas mask is... I'm the Fairy of Stench."

At this, the entire freshman class burst out into guffaws, as she knew they would. She hated that title, but it was what everbody had been calling her back home, and eventually even she began to think of herself that way. Marigold held back tears as she endured the laughter, just as she had done at her previous school.

"Very interesting Miss Plume, I don't think we'll be needing a demonstration." Leechwood said dryly, prompting another spate of snickering. "You may sit down."

With an inward sigh of relief Marigold transformed back to normal and hurried to her seat, not looking at any of her fellow students. She hoped that over the next few weeks people would forget about her, and she could live out the rest of her time at Alfea unnoticed.

"That's the school experience a person like me should have anyways," she muttered to herself. "Quiet, anonymous, without things like friends or adventures..."

* * *

While fairies busied themselves with learning at Alfea, darker events were transpiring deep within the bowels of Cloud Tower, school for fairies. In the dankest, most hidden cellar, two beings conversed in secret. One was a man, tall and dark, with hideous black and white facepaint. Shadowy slime dripped off his clothes and pooled on the floor in an unending torrent, giving the illusion that his feet simply melted into the sludge. The girl with him was much younger and cleaner, with silver hair and sharp inquisitive eyes that peeked from behind a pair of dainty spectacles. In her hands she held an ancient tome, bound in blood red leather.

"You are sure this is the book, Sylena?" the man questioned, yellow irises glinting feverishly.

"Headmistress Echidna said so herself, Lord Gologoth," the witch replied. "And she had no idea whatsoever what I intended to do with it. Didn't even ask, in fact. I guess being her favorite senior student makes me immune to suspicion."

"You have chosen wisely to betray her, witch. I can assure you that being on my side will be far more rewarding when the time comes."

"Oh, really? And what time is that, pray tell? This is the second time I've assisted you, and I don't see any rewards." Sylena crossed her arms.

"Patience," the wizard's voice oozed. "The items I require will be gathered in due time, and when they are, the spell I shall perform will summon forth an evil greater than the universe has seen in centuries. Then you will get what you deserve."


End file.
